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Build a Chicken Tractor
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- Опубликовано: 5 авг 2022
- This is the chicken tractor we use on the farm. It is a compilation between a "Salatin" design and one that I've built previously.
Here is the link to the full length version of the build. • Our Chicken Tractor - ...
Here is a link to the materials list on our website. www.millgapfar...
Thanks for watching our videos! If you want to visit our farm and stay in the b&b, go to www.millgapfarms.com. We also have Virginia’s only USDA Organic Maple Syrup available for you to enjoy too!
Our videos are for entertainment purposes only. Do not try any stunts like these unless you have your own channel and plenty of insurance. No animals were harmed in the making of these videos, except for maybe Kevin.
Great design. Im going to build a couple with the kids. Thank You and keep them coming.
Thanks, I would love to see a photo of the one you are building. You could send it to us via our website. www.millgapfarms.com. It would be fun to share it with others on the channel. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts. Kevin
Wow, that is a fantastic hatch/handle idea! Thanks for sharing!
Glad you liked it! Thank you for watching our video and leaving your thoughts! Kevin
I watched your video because I’m looking to see how to build the chicken tractor. I absolutely love your door handle combination. Your watering system interests me as well. So I will look for that video. Thanks for sharing.
Po Bo, I'm going to work on the waterer video the next day we have good weather. We have lots of winds here currently and my mics will pick it up and make the video much less enjoyable. I'll get this up soon. Thanks for taking a minute to watch. And leave a comment. Kevin
Thank you so much for sharing this info. I can't wait to build one...or 10😊 God bless you and your family.
Code 4 because of Him, Thanks for watching in a couple days I will post an update to this video after having used this for a season and sharing the good ponts and some changes I would make. I can't say for sure which day this week it will come out but for sure very soon. I'm finishing my editing right now. Appreciate the comment! If you have any thoughts or questions along the way leave it in the comments or go to www.millgapfarms.com and email me. If you leave it in the comments more folks can learn from our conversation. God bless you and your family too! Kevin
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Thank you for taking the time to pass on your knowledge. God bless you x
You are so welcome. Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment. Hope you will visit the channel again soon. Kevin
Very cool design, it looks like it’ll it’s a winner!! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for watching Mr. Phillips. Here is a video a year later. This has been a great design. ruclips.net/video/nEyp37y6Aoo/видео.html I appreciate the the time you took to comment! Kevin
Going to give this a try today!
Wonderful. If you run into challenges email me through our website www.millgapfarms.com. Thanks for watching our video and leaving your thoughts. Kevin
If you fillet those sharp inside corners, you can get the same strength with thinner wood.
For something you expect to last 5 years, you can glue small triangles (cut a square diagonally) into corners, they can be thinner than the wood. Try making 2 square frames and fillet one then see how hard you have to push to break them.
Look into soaking wet cloth with Portland cement (it's extra smooth) at cake batter consistency and lay that on chicken wire so it all dries as one. If the wire is stretched over a frame then it dries in place and needs no fasteners with a little wrap-around. For cloth, burlap or used feed bags is good.
Just don't let the cement dry out, seal it or throw some water on in dry weeks, cement crumbles if not treated properly. Driveway sealer or oil based paint or I dunno what else will do the job.
Again, make test pieces and break em, knowing beats guessing! You can overlap small pieces of mudded cloth with a thumb width overlap, cloth or wire and it's good. adding wire and layers can make the composite strong enough to bounce a sledge hammer back atcha. Thin composite bends with some spring-back, thick has give... even 1/4" thick. With fabric, thinwall cement this way don't need sand.
Here's a youtube link to a guy just starting to do it, there are many-many craft links and some show rope with cement worked through, not so easy with good rope. ruclips.net/video/PUOb5hL9Ro4/видео.html&pp=ygUSZ3Jvd2JhZyBjZW1lbnQgcG90
Neat video! Thanks for sharing. I like the idea about the triangles too. It would definitely make the tractor stronger! Thanks for watching and taking the time to share this good information! Kevin
That is a smart design, sir. Well done!
Thank you very much! I appreciate you watching our video and leaving the comment! Kevin
The chickens really look content in their new chicken tractor home. It keeps them safe as well as accounted for.. When you moved up there did you take your honey bee hives with you ?
Yes, I brought close to 25 hives and lost all of them. It's really cold up here. First year it was -15 for almost a month! Lost them all. We have two feral hives now. They survive well. Thanks for watching! Kevin
Hi Kevin, i built a chicken tractor using your design and love the easy access. I did build mine using 2x4's and hardware cloth. I wouldn't recommend it as mine is very heavy. How do you have your watering system set up? Thanks for sharing your design.
I have been using waterers and putting them inside. I do have a system I made but have not done a video on it. If you want more details, email me through our website and I can share them with you. www.millgapfarms.com Kevin
Dieser chicken Traktor ist nett, aber bei uns höchstens für ein paar Küken gut😮 Man sieht, dass Sie in so einer schönen Landschaft leben, Sie könnten Ihren Tieren bestimmt mehr Platz bieten als dieses kleine Kistchen. Grüße aus Deutschland
One of the big challenges we have her on the farm are the predators. This tractor prevents about 99% of that. For sure we do have plenty of space to run them. But if we did, we would certainly have less on processing day. Thanks for watching Janus! Hope you will visit us again here on the channel again soon. Kevin
Looks good.
Thanks! Kevin
I like the design. im going to build a few
We are glad you like it. It’s been a good design for us. I posted another video about the design a year later. ruclips.net/video/nEyp37y6Aoo/видео.html this one talks about what I would do differently. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts! Kevin.
Hello! If there are long periods of rain, for example 4-5 days, and the pasture is soaked, how do we keep the chickens from getting wet and sick while in the chicken tracktor? If we don't have a dry shed built nearby, is there a solution related to the construction of the chicken tracktor?
Rain can affect the birds especially when they are young (3 to 4 weeks). And it's early in the season and temps are cooler than summer. As they get a little older not so much unless they are in standing water. We live on a hill and I don't think except for the footprint of our home, the property is not flat. We are blessed in that respect. Until we play ball with our kids and it's becomes a chase game! On the chicken tractors we use, the inside has the tyvek material on and it works very well. Even a few years out now, it's holding up well. What we do is point the covered sections (3 sides) into the wind (which we have a lot of). And still move it daily. I would suggest staying away from low spots where water will travel or pool. I hope this answers your question. We can talk more in the comments or email me through our website www.millgapfarms.com. Thanks for watching and posting your question. Kevin
Temporary? Dude you'll get 10 years easy outa that. Oil up the ground contact parts with some food grade mineral oil every new growing cycle, store out of weather during Winter. It'll go 10+ years easy Peas.
If you're not opposed to treated lumber, you'll get 20+ doing same. Get it out of weather during off season cycles and coat/protect parts exposed to ground.
I'm not a fan of treated lumber for this sort of application but for sure it has it's place. I think we'll get a few years out of this. I appreciate your thoughts! Thanks for taking the time to comment! Kevin
@@MillGapFarms treated lumber isnt what you think it is. Hasn't been for almost 20 years.
They will probably peck way at that plastic stuff. Go with tin instead of that it will last a lot longer.
It took a couple years and a couple rabbits in the tractor and some spots were pecked. I built another one with metal side and it did much better but oh my stars, it is heavy! Thanks for watching and leaving your suggestion. This is how we become better farmers. Kevin
What about the floor? Don't foxes dig the holes underneath?
No that has not happened. We did have mink try to grab one or two...but have not lost any birds to predators since we started using these style of tractors. Thanks for watching and posting your question. Kevin
You need to angle your roof and put a gutter to drain into your water bucket. Just an idea.
That is a great idea! I think that would work really well on flatter ground. I don’t have many if any flat spots on the farm. If I did I would definitely do what you’re suggesting! Thanks for watching our video and leaving this great idea! Kevin.
We have chicken snakes, raccoons, opossums, coyotes, skunks, bobcats… I need a coop and run made with hardware cloth. Would hardware cloth be durable enough to be used as wire for this tractor?
We have all the same predators with one addition. Minks. They are mean as can be. I would put them up against any of the above. Thankfully the chicken wire will keep them out. I think hardware cloth is a nice upgrade but will add weight and won't provide much more protection. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely stronger than chicken wire. It will be heavier. Thank you for watching our video. I haven't seen you in the comments before. I hope you will visit again soon. Kevin
How did you use this tractor to take care of the chickens in the winter? Did you provide any insulation or specific heat techniques?
Tracy T, These tractors are used in the summer months for our meat birds. They could be used in the winter but as you mentioned, some form of insulation would be a good idea. Chickens don't really need insulation as much as protection from predators and some of the elements (wind and precipitation). Around our farm we tend to get some snow and once that happens, moving the birds is not going to happen. When it's not snowing it could be moved. But, the chickens will not receive much of the benefit these tractors provide in the warmer months (fresh forage and bugs). With this being said, I think these can work in more of a stationary way. In fact, we use one for our ducks and in the winter we position it in such a way that the back is into the wind and we give them hay inside for warmth. The ducks love it and stay there year round now. During the day we let them out to roam the farm and at night we call them in by saying "All ducks go to bed" and they come running.. It's a hoot. But it works. If you wanted to use one of these for layers, you would want to set up a nesting box and a way to access that box from the outside. Our ducks lay all over the place inside the enclosure and when they do, I have to go inside to get the eggs... I'm a little over 6 foot...it can be a pain. My son loves climbing in there and he does it when he see's eggs in the mornings. He's 5 and the right size for that adventure. If you have any more questions, let us know. Thanks for watching and leaving your question here! Kevin
Can I ask are those 1x2s or what size is this wood? I have watched so many videos and looked up so many plans but after seeing this one I am going with this one. I'm branching out from just laying hens to adding meat birds now thank you for your video!
Mr. Neeley, The boards are 2x3's. They are not as strong as 2x4's but much lighter. It is a lot easier to move around the farm than my larger ones. After using this for a season about the only thing I would change is making the tractor sit off the ground a little more. Not much, especially if you have minks in the area. But a little bit. Our pasture where I run chickens is not as smooth as my lawn... for that matter, my lawn is not that smooth either! Be sure to put some tape around the edges. They can cut you fast during the season. Another tip that would keep you from cutting metal... make your tractor to fit the metal vs the metal to fit your tractor. I'm thinking you can get pre cut metal and doing a 60/40 split or 75/25 split would be ideal. 60% covered and 40% open. Don't use metal on the side unless you want a daily work out. Use a product like tyvek (black on the outside white on the inside. I may have enough of what I used if you want to use what used. Last tip, while you are building this consider building and extra pane to fit in the open section so that when you are getting your birds out, you could put a small amount of feed in the open section and then slide into place a panel where it would keep your birds in the front. Otherwise, you need Gabriel, he loves catching chickens and will crawl inside the covered area to get them for you. We rent him out by the day, on occasion by the chicken caught! If you have other questions, visit our website www.millgapfarms.com and email me. I'll be happy to help you during your build process. If I can do it, so can you!
Just curious, no issue with predators(racoons) reaching through the wire (holes)?
Great question Mickey Wells! One time something, most likely a racoon did reach through and grab one of my birds. Got her pretty good but didn't kill her. She made a full recovery and was processed with the rest from that tractor. Besides the wind, this is the second reason for the plastic tyvek type material on the inside. This creates both a wind and predator barrier. Nowadays, we have "stupid dog" to protect the flocks. Having a livestock guardian dog for one flock doesn't make sense but because we have other animals, we have one. Keeping your birds close to your home will help reduce the predator load. Thanks for watching and sharing your question. Everyone benefits from input like this! Kevin
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Thanks for watching and the comment! Kevin
Is greed idea thanks
Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave a comment. It means a lot to us! Kevin
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Thanks for watching and leaving your comment! Kevin
How many chickens do you keep in one tractor?
Hi Ms. Graf, In this tractor we keep up to 25 birds. Consider your breed too. Freedom rangers are smaller birds than cornish cross. You can go a little more if you move more. I typically move them more when I more birds in them. And I split their feed too. Meaning, I would move and feed 50% of what they would normally get in the morning and do the same around 3-5 pm. This does a couple things for you. First, you are able to put more birds in the tractor, they spread their "love" more on the pasture, and most importantly, they don't gorge themselves on feed. What I've found is that the more regular smaller meals the less growth problems I have. I know that wasn't your question but this is a big factor in my process. Thanks for watching our video. If you have more questions, you can email us through our website www.millgapfarms.com. Sometimes in these threads, I lose contact with folks. Being a new to this, I don't have it down all the way. Thanks Kevin
Took me about 1.5 hrs
You can build my next one. It takes that long for me to find my tools! Thanks for watching and sharing your experience! Kevin
@@MillGapFarms It does make a world of difference having all the tools ready to go! I build for a living so had a head start.
What did you say that tube was at the end? A chicken water ______?
djazgirl, That's a good question. We have a shut off valve at the end of the tube. It allows for the tube to be burped. Without it you would have to pull a nipple to get the water to start flowing. If this doesn't sound right let me know about where in the video I said what you are referring to. I'm getting ready to do an update video on this tractor too. After a season of use, what does it look like and would I change anything. That should be up soon. Thanks for watching! Kevin
@@MillGapFarms When you rolled the coop out of the barn there was no white plastic pipe under the handle bar at the back. When you are wrapping up the video around 9:33 there is a white pipe on an angle that comes out of the coop a bit with a valve on it. What is it's use? How does it work? Thank you.
You are good with the time stamp. It took me right to the spot where I needed to be. That "white thing" is my waterer. I used 1/2" pvc pipe and chicken nippls. There is a 5 gallon bucket that sits on the top of the tractor that has a quick connect on it where I can remove it when transporting. This happens when there is clean water in it. I shut off the valve on the bucket then take the bucket off the roof, move it to the next spot and then move the chicken tractor beside it. Would you think a video on the waterer would be helpful? Thanks Kevin
@@MillGapFarms That would be great! Thank you.
Djazgirl, I have not forgotten about you. I had the video done explaining how I built the waterer and something happened in my editing software... one day it was there and the next everything was gone. I'm sorry for the delay. None of my clips were there either...nothing. The project and everything in the folder, gone. I'm working on another video. The white thing is the waterer and on the end is the shut off valve. If you make one of these, put it on the outside of the tractor, you'll be glad you did. Thanks Kevin